JERUSALEM/ANKARA

Palestinians in Gaza, the occupied West Bank, and East Jerusalem marked the Eid al-Adha on Friday amid continuing Israeli bombardment, military raids, and heavy restrictions.

Jerusalem

Tens of thousands of Palestinians offered Eid al-Adha prayers at the Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied Jerusalem on Friday morning, despite tight Israeli restrictions and a somber atmosphere driven by the ongoing genocidal war on Gaza.

According to local estimates, around 80,000 Palestinians gathered at Islam's third-holiest mosque, entering and exiting while chanting the traditional Eid Takbirat.

Israeli police forces were heavily deployed in and around the Al-Aqsa compound and the Old City before, during, and after the prayers.

However, many Palestinians from the occupied West Bank were unable to attend the Eid prayers in Jerusalem due to Israeli restrictions on movement.

Many Palestinians barred from entering the mosque by Israeli orders were spotted praying outside its gates.

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However, the usual festive spirit of Eid was notably absent. The mood in Jerusalem was subdued as the city grappled with the impact of Israel’s ongoing genocidal war in the Gaza Strip.  

Occupied West Bank

Thousands of Palestinians in the occupied West Bank marked the first day of Eid al-Adha on Friday with prayers held in mosques and public squares across the territory despite ongoing Israeli offensives targeting northern refugee camps.

In the Jenin refugee camp, Israeli soldiers barred dozens of families from visiting the camp cemetery to pay respects to their deceased loved ones, according to eyewitnesses speaking to Anadolu. 

In Bethlehem, in the southern West Bank, thousands performed Eid prayers at Omar Ibn Al-Khattab Square near the Church of the Nativity, a symbol of interfaith coexistence in the city.

Meanwhile, in the city of Hebron, worshippers gathered at the historic Ibrahimi Mosque under heavy Israeli security restrictions. 

Hebron’s director of religious endowments, Munjid al-Jabari, said in a statement that Israeli authorities once again refused to fully open the mosque for Muslim worshippers, including its eastern gate.

“This is the seventh time this year they’ve denied us full access, including Fridays in Ramadan and both Eid celebrations,” he said. “We refuse to accept partial control over the holy site.”

Early Friday morning, Israeli forces carried out a series of new raids across the West Bank. In Qalqilya, troops stormed neighborhoods, fired live rounds and tear gas, and injured a young Palestinian man in the leg. Two others were arrested during the raids, witnesses said.

Since the start of the Israeli onslaught on the Gaza Strip on Oct. 7, 2023, at least 973 Palestinians have been killed and more than 7,000 injured in attacks by the Israeli army and illegal settlers across the occupied West Bank, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.  

Gaza Strip

Palestinians in the Gaza Strip performed Eid al-Adha prayers on Friday atop the rubble of mosques destroyed by Israeli airstrikes. 

In the southern city of Khan Younis, hundreds of worshippers gathered at the ruins of Imam Muhammad al-Albani Mosque.

“For two years now, we haven’t been able to celebrate Eid properly because of siege, daily bombings, and forced displacement,” said Hussein Al-Ghalban, one of the worshippers. 

As Israeli jets circled low above Khan Younis, residents reported heavy artillery fire targeting central, northern, and eastern parts of the city. Witnesses also described intense gunfire toward residential neighborhoods. 

On the eve of Eid, Israeli forces killed 41 Palestinians, including children, women, and journalists, in strikes across multiple locations in Gaza. 

This marks the fourth Eid observed under catastrophic conditions in Gaza, following nearly 20 months of ongoing war.

Israel, rejecting international calls for a ceasefire, has pursued a genocidal offensive in Gaza since October 2023, killing nearly 54,700 Palestinians, most of them women and children. Aid agencies have warned about the risk of famine among the enclave's more than 2 million inhabitants.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war crimes against civilians in the enclave.